2023-12-31-accounts - British Society For The History Of Pharmacy

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Charity Number: 1166134

British Society for the History of Pharmacy

Report and financial statements For the year ended 31[st] December 2023

British Society for the History of Pharmcy

Reference and administrative information

for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

Charity number 1166134 Other names BSHP Registered address Associaction Enterprises, Unit 9, Cartwright Court Cartwright Way, Bardon Hill Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 1UE

Trustees Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:

Chris Duffin Chair, resigned March 2024 Robert Mark Nesbitt Vice-President (Chair from March 2024) Selina Hurley Hon. Treasurer, resigned March 2024 Roy Allcorn Hon. Secretary, resigned March 2024 Catherine Walker Vice-President, appointed March 2024 Jemma Houghton Hon. Treasurer, appointed March 2024 Matthew Johnston Hon. Secretary, appointed March 2024

British Society for the History of Pharmcy

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

The trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2023.

Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the charity’s constitution and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP.

Objectives and activities

The object of the charity is to advance education for the public benefit in the history of pharmacy by:

Stimulating interest in and promoting and encouraging research and study in the history of pharmacy nationally and internationally;
Furthering the publication of studies in the history of pharmacy;
Organising meetings and conferences for the reading of papers on the history of pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and medicine; and
Establishing contact nationally and internationally with other societies for historical studies.

The trustees review the aims, objectives and activities of the charity each year. This report looks at what the charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. The trustees report the success of each key activity and the benefits the charity has brought to those groups of people that it is set up to help. The review also helps the trustees ensure the charity's aims, objectives and activities remained focused on its stated purposes.

The trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

Achievements and performance

Annual General Meeting 2023

The 55th Annual General Meeting of the Society was held on Sunday 2nd April 2023 at the Holiday Inn Oxford.

A quorum of Members attended the meeting.

At the AGM the following Trustees (Office Bearers) were confirmed:

President: Dr Chris Duffin Vice-President: Professor Mark Nesbitt Hon. Treasurer: Ms Selina Hurley Hon. Secretary: Mr Roy Allcorn

The 2022 Annual Accounts were agreed unanimously by those Members attending the meeting.

British Society for the History of Pharmcy

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

Meetings of Committee

The Committee met three times during the year (6th February, 15th May and 16th October), all these meetings continued to be held on-line:

Name Comments

Mr R T Allcorn

Dr S C Anderson Dr J Crellin Dr C Duffin Ms A Heath New committee member 2023 Ms B Hudson Ms S Hurley Dr M H Jepson Mr M Johnson Prof M Nesbitt Ms C Walker Ms K Walker New committee member 2023

Committee membership changes in 2023: John Betts and Deborah Bishop left the committee during the year, Abigail Heath attended her first committee meeting in May, and Kim Walker rejoined the committee in October.

Membership

Total membership (including 3 Honorary Members) at 31st December was 142.

Movements in the year having been as follows:

New members: 19 / Resigned or deleted: 14

Online Lecture Programme

Meetings/Events

No in-person committee meetings were organised during 2023 as it had been decided to continue to meet online. No Summer annual visit was arranged due to lack of interest.

On-line Lecture Programme

Our successful series of free on-line discussions and talks continued in 2023. Bookings and ticketing were again administered using the Eventbrite system.

British Society for the History of Pharmcy

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

We arranged these talks:

Monday 23 January 2023: “Dioscorides’ Botanical Legacy in the Medieval Mediterranean: Critical Practices of Botanical Illustration” by Dr Andrew P. Griebeler, Princeton University.

Monday 27 February 2023: “Perfumery and pharmacy: The Greek and Roman history of a match made in heaven” by Prof. Laurence Totelin, University of Cardiff.

Monday 6 March 2023: “The herbal materia medica in Greek texts – a botanical and pharmacognostic perspective” by Dr Andreas Lardos, Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

Monday 24 April 2023: “Shifting from medicine to botany: the hidden history of 16th century herbaria” by Dr Anastasia Stefanaki, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden.

Monday 15 May 2023: “Synthesizing hope: 20th century drug discovery in South Africa” by Prof. Anne Pollock, Kings College.

Monday 19 June 2023: “From plant to drug: The quest for an Indian Pharmacopeia” by Dr Nandini Bhattacharya, University of Houston.

The next series planned for the Autumn could not be arranged in time and so a new series was scheduled for the new year.

Annual Spring Conference March 2023

There were 31 participants overall including 22 BSHP members. Delegates had travelled from Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and the USA to join the event, perhaps our most international yet. The conference theme was Training, Learning and Education.

A pre-conference visit to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the adjacent Pitt-Rivers Museum was led by Chris Duffin. The 16 attendees discovered the pioneering geological work of Oxford don, William Buckland (1784-1856), learned how to classify dinosaurs and browsed through medical amulets, surgical instruments and items of materia medica from around the world.

Friday’s dinner was followed by a talk by Stephen A. Harris (Druce Curator of Oxford University Herbaria) on ‘George Claridge Druce’.

The following short papers were given on the Saturday morning:

Chris Duffin The Stag as a source of materia medica
Jelena Manojilovic Adam Lonicerus’s Kreuterbuch as functional cultural heritage
Matteo Sartori ‘Balsam de Chili’ and Drimys winteri. Entangled Histories of British Pharmacy
Maria do Sameiro Barroso Medicine and Magic in a recipe of Aspasia
Florian Eidam-Weber Teaching at the Institute of the History of Pharmacy and Medicine at Phillips University Marburg, Germany – its past, present & future

The Saturday afternoon visit was to the History of Science Museum where we were treated to a guided tour concentrating on Nobel laureates, different inventions designed to measure time, and a chance to view a range of medical and pharmaceutical items. Following the Saturday evening Briony and Matthew presented delegates with a range of pharmaceutical objects borrowed from the RPS Museum and Society of Apothecaries, and delegates enjoyed identifying them and sharing exactly how to use them.

Sunday’s proceedings began with the Annual General Meeting. This was followed by short talks:

British Society for the History of Pharmcy

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

Gabriel Lake Carter ‘ The Pharmacy Image’: Advertising and the Business Education of Pharmacists, 1900-1975
Carolyn Collins ‘ The best morning tonic’: Citrus aurantium from pharmacy jar to marmalade pot; looking at the therapeutic value of the Seville Orange
Manon Auffret From medieval apothecaries to the Faculty of Pharmacy of Rennes: a short history of pharmaceutical education in Brittany

Following a short break, Professor Roisin O’Hare gave the final lecture of the conference to mark the centenary of the Guild of Hospital Pharmacists - Concocting lotions, prescribing potions and all kinds of crazy notions! Evolution of the practice of the hospital pharmacist from 1923 to 2023.

It was wonderful to enjoy the company of members and non-members alike, and to be treated to a wide range of lecture topics from a suite of clearly accomplished international researchers at this very successful conference.

Pharmaceutical Historian

Four issues of the Pharmaceutical Historian: An International Journal for the History of Pharmacy (Vol. 53, Nos. 1,2,3,4) were published during the year dated March, June, September and December. Stuart Anderson continued with the editorship continuing the current arrangement to publish the journal on-line (with Ingenta) and thus internationally with the International Society for the History of Pharmacy (ISHP). Printed copies continued to be produced and sent to all members who wanted them in that format. Those members resident overseas are all sent pdf copies by email.

BSHP Gazette

Four issues of the Gazette, our quarterly newsletter, were produced and mailed out to coincide with mailing the four issues of the Pharmaceutical Historian . This continued to fulfil the aim of having four pages of news, updates, details of events past and forthcoming and other information including, where relevant, a selection of photographs reproduced in full colour.

BSHP Website (www.bshp.org) and Social Media

Our website was kept updated especially with regards to forthcoming virtual events.

Many new membership applications were received via the web-based form and paid for using the associated on-line PayPal payment system.

The number of our followers on Facebook and Twitter continues to grow and is now an important means of keeping everyone interested in us bang up to date.

Awards – Peter Homan Small Grant Scheme

This scheme was launched in early 2023. It invites applications at any time of year, with closing dates set at 31st May and 30th November. Applications are considered by a team of four members of the BSHP Committee, consisting of individuals with curatorial and research experience.

At its meeting on 14th June 2023 the Panel considered the five applications received. The winners were:

British Society for the History of Pharmcy

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

A request to support an Apothecary Expansion Project at the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield. Funding would be used to assist with costs of producing new interpretation boards, ‘smell pots’, and printed postcards. Grant criteria met: Improving a pharmacy display. Outcome: Grant of £400 made.
A request to support pharmaceutical aspects of the development of a Creativity Gallery at the National Civil War Centre at Newark Museum. Funding to be used to assist with costs of obtaining the loan of pharmaceutical items from the collections of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the Royal Society. Grant criteria met: Improving a pharmacy display. Outcome: Grant of £100 made.

There were no applications for the period to the end of November.

Appreciations

The Committee wishes to put on record its thanks to Catherine Walker at the Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for her help and support.

We are also indebted to Associaction Enterprises for continuing to undertake various Secretariat and office-based duties for the Society.

Financial review

The unrestricted funds held at as at the 31[st] December 2023 were £54,816.

Reserves

The charity does not have a specific reserves policy as we maintain an investment account that would cover and exceed any running costs over the next 12 months. As at the 31[st] December 2023, this was £45,000.

Structure, governance and management

Governing Document

The organisation is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), registered in 2016 in England and Wales, operating under a constitution.

The trustees are members of the charity, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits or remuneration from the charity. No expenses were reclaimed from the charity.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

There must be at least four Charity Trustees, who will be Officers of the charity: the President, the VicePresident, the Honorary Treasurer and the Honorary Secretary. If the number falls below this minimum, the remaining trustee or trustees may act only to call a meeting of the Charity Trustees, or to appoint a new Charity Trustee.

British Society for the History of Pharmcy

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

Officers are proposed and voted in at the Annual General Meeting.

In addition, up to eight Ordinary Committee Members shall normally be elected by the BSHP membership for a term of three years. The Trustees and Ordinary Committee Members may decide to co-opt up to two additional ordinary committee members, bringing the total number of Trustees and Ordinary Committee Members up to a maximum of 14 at any one time.

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the period and of its financial position at the end of the period. In preparing financial statements giving a true and fair view, the trustees should follow best practice and:

Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The trustees’ annual report has been approved by the trustees on 22/10/2024 and signed on their behalf by

Mark Nesbitt (Chair)

British Society for the History of Pharmacy

Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2023

Receipts Memberships Annual conference Peter Homan Bursary RPS Royalties Interest Other Total receipts Payments Charitable expenditure Insurance Associaction Enterprises costs Committee expenses Pharmaceutical Historian printing and costs Subscriptions (BSHM, ISHP, ISHP journal hosting) Society of Apothecaries student support Conference expenditure Peter Homan fund payments Total payments Net receipts / (payments) for the year Bank and cash balances at start of year Bank and cash balances at end of year	2023 £ 4,638 8,542 5,005 2 382
	18,569
	154 2,613 617 1,619 944 110 6,548 500 13,105
	5,464
	49,352
	54,816

British Society for the History of Pharmacy

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31st December 2023

Bank and cash balances Investment CAF Shawbrook deposit Liabilities Membership income in advance	2023 £ 54,816
	45,000
	175

Notes

a) All the charity's funds are unrestricted. Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity.
b) The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. As a lower-income charity under section 133 of the 2011 Act, the trustees have elected to prepare the charity's financial statements using the Receipts & Payments basis.